Stories and Surprises! at Next wpo concert Featuring Mozart, Ravel, a Giant and a Maze

FOR IMMEDIATE USE Leanna Dunaway

October 25, 2017 Phone: 330-399-3606 Email: warren.philharmonic@gmail.com

Stories and Surprises! at Next WPO Concert Featuring Mozart, Ravel, a Giant and a Maze
The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra’s fall concert – Stories and Surprises! – features harp and flute magic, mysteries of the sea, a prince saved by a bee, Sleeping Beauty and young violinists - you just Can't Stop the Feeling! The concert begins at 3 p.m. on November 19, 2017, at Christ Episcopal Church, 2627 Atlantic Street, NE, Warren. The orchestra will perform Fingal's Cave by Felix Mendelssohn; Sleeping Beauty and Empress of the Pagodas by Maurice Ravel; Concerto for Flute and Harp by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with soloists Kathryn Thomas Umble, flute, and Marissa Knaub Avon, harp; MAZE II (world premier) by Yehudi Wyner, with Strings of Joy student soloists; Can't Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake; and Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Susan Davenny Wyner, WPO Music Director and Conductor, says, “What excites me particularly is how this concert puts us into the middle of witty, loving, surprising, musical exchanges among such contrasting personalities. We have a rare opportunity to hear Mozart’s concerto with two internationally acclaimed soloists, Kathryn Thomas Umble, flute, and Marissa Knaub Avon, harp, in an unexpected pairing of flute and harp. A young Mendelssohn evokes his stormy sea voyage to a mysterious island, home of a mythical Giant, while Ravel by contrast creates a delicate magical world of miniature creatures. And we have a distinguished American composer working with young beginning string players to craft a piece especially for them to perform with the Orchestra.”
The Orchestra’s Strings of Joy program provides free violin lessons to selected Trumbull County students in grades 3 through 7. This year’s students will perform with the Orchestra during the world premier of MAZE II, composed by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Yehudi Wyner. Professional Orchestra musicians provide weekly individual and group instruction, and instruments and music are provided at no charge. “We appreciate the support from the Cafaro Foundation, Trumbull 100 and several individual donors that make Strings of Joy possible at no cost to the students,” explains Attorney Frank R. Bodor, president of the Orchestra’s board of trustees. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to ensure that lessons can continue through June 2018.

Now in its 52nd season, the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra is composed of the area’s finest professional musicians under the direction of Susan Davenny Wyner. In addition to two concerts for the public, the orchestra performs free school concerts for thousands of area school children. An Art in Music contest is held yearly for Trumbull County students; current winners’ art work will be on display at the November concert. Instructional packets have been distributed to Trumbull County art, music and classroom teachers for grades 3 through 8; materials are also available on the Orchestra website.